The first ever Weird Tales Festival brought together treasure hunters, film makers and ghost busters to Ridgecrest. More than one attendee said for matter-of-fact that the festival was not the first gathering of eccentrics to share tales in and about the desert, but this was the first official festival, complete with T-shirts and a program.

The Historical Society of the Upper Mojave Desert sponsored the inaugural event, the brainchild of movie producer/director/writer and desert explorer Ted Faye.

Actors from "Weird Tales VI – the Desert's Lost River of Gold," who dressed in dusty boots and caps, sat with diners and guests sharing the tale of Kokoweef Mountain and its underground river whose banks overflowed with gold nuggets. "Weird Tales VI" made its world premiere at the festival Friday night.

Featured speakers and guests included Peaches Veatch of the California Paranormal Private Investigators, author and treasure hunter W.C. Jameson and Faye, the film's producer.

Producer of desert films of all genres, Faye was straight out of central casting – dusty boots and jeans, a salt-crusted ball cap, sweat streaked spectacles and a vest with a thousand pockets. He has produced more than a dozen films about Death Valley. Faye said in an interview before the event kicked off Friday night that the event was a long time coming. He said the idea of a festival had been in the works since "Weird Tales IV – the Ghost of Death Valley Junction." After an invitation by the Society months ago, the idea began to take shape and finally coagulated and coincided with the premiere of "Weird Tales VI."

"This is a great collaboration between film makers, treasure hunters and Peaches and what they do at the Historical Society," Faye said. He said he was so impressed by the attitude and progressiveness and willingness of the historic society to try new things. Jameson said he was emailed by Faye months ago to help with the movie. He said most of the time when he gets a call from a producer, he plans on his time being wasted. "Ted's got a passion for what he's got going on," Jameson said.

Jameson possessed all the chiseled and sun-baked features of a man who has spent his life in the desert Southwest. Jameson spoke with a laid back south-Texas drawl, his white hair and beard blown back by invisible winds. He spoke of Spanish ingots, piles of gold and silver and smuggling.

Page 2 of 3 - Jameson grew up outside Austin and has been a professional treasure hunter for more than 60 years. He has penned more than 90 books, 30 or so on treasure hunting. He also writes about cold cases in his "Beyond the Grave" series. He writes and researches about lost or missing famous people. He's currently researching John Wilkes Booth and Amelia Earhart. He said his work on Billy the Kid landed him more than five years of work on the History Channel.

His field of expertise also landed him a gig as advisor on Disney's 2004 "National Treasure" starring Nicholas Cage.

Jameson is first and foremost a treasure hunter with more than 200 expeditions under his belt. He said he has made a living off treasure hunting. "It pays the rent for me and others."

Most of his hunting has been in Mexico, recovering gold and silver from Spanish expeditions that have been lost to the desert or captured by Indians. He explained he finds leads through studying history, researching and museums. He said Mexico City is a wealth of archival material for treasure hunters.

Churches are the best sources of historic material, Jameson said. He explained a church scribe was usually charged with writing down the accounts of robberies or other attacks. These records were kept at churches, undisturbed and uncensored by government officials trying to hide the whereabouts of caches or other possible treasures. He said he's found buried caches or the remnants of pack trains.

"Finding is the easy part," Jameson said. "Recovering is the hard part." He said he had to become a smuggler to get his work across the border, but now the statute of limitations has passed and he's no longer on the wrong side of any laws. The honorary mayor of Randsburg, Georgia O., the chihuahua was on hand. Georgia's handler, artist, photographer and weird tale aficionado Cheryl McDonald was also in attendance.

The festival kicked off Friday with social hour and plenty of elbow rubbing with speakers and actors and fellow lovers of the weird tale.

Rusty and Tina Warren said they were "kinda interested" in weird stuff but were more happy to get out and see what the Historic Society had to offer. Rusty, who grew up in Ridgecrest and Tina who has lived in town for a very time as well, said with a laugh, "Ridgecrest is weird, so its a good match."

Page 3 of 3 - Allen Alpers, doorman and Andrew Sound, master of ceremonies are both also on the planning committee of the event. Sound credited Faye with the idea of the festival but hopes Ridgecrest can make it its own. He said the event could become a tourist attraction, bringing in tourists and their money.

"I hope this becomes a signature event," Faye told the crowd. Alpers said there is plenty of weird things to love in the desert and Ridgecrest. There are also a great many treasures and mysteries yet to be discovered locally.

There is a Spanish galleon at the bottom of the Salton Sea, a paddle boat full of ore is stuck somewhere in the muck of the Owens Dry Lake bed. There are lost mines and prospects reported to be full of treasure.

Everybody who attended also received a goody bag complete with raffle tickets, a T-shirt and a Weird Tales Festival bumper sticker. Students will be prevented from wearing the shirt or displaying the stickers however, because the acronym of the festival was used in place of the full-name, "W.T. F.?" Some attendees thought it would boost the street credibility of the shirts and stickers and, hopefully, the popularity of the festival.